Let’s Celebrate Smile Power Day On June 15

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Earlier this week, I shared ideas to help your residents to celebrate National Cheese Day on June 4. Today we’ll look at lots of fun activity options for another important holiday in June: National Smile Power Day on June 15.

What makes you smile? 

Tape a large poster board to a wall and add a few smiley faces. Invite residents, staff, families, and volunteers to write down what makes them smile. Answers could include grandchildren, a favorite pet, sunny weather, and tons of other topics.

Support a charity

Offer residents an opportunity to raise money to support a charity that helps children smile. The charity I’m most familiar with is Mercy Ships. They provide free surgeries for children with cleft palate and other dental conditions.

I’m sure you can find many other excellent local and international charities. For fundraising ideas, check out this extensive list I’ve posted over the past year.

Brighten your residents’ smiles

Invite a dental hygienist to come in and do an in-service for nursing staff on mouth care. Sadly, when I worked at the nursing home, mouth care seemed like one task that didn’t always get done thoroughly when caregivers were super busy.

A hygienist can reinforce the importance of mouth care and teach proper techniques. They also know lots of tips for situations when residents might not cooperate with mouth care.

Share a smile

Show your residents YouTube videos that will make them smile. Possibilities include cute puppies and kittens or laughing babies. You can also share older TV comedies like “I Love Lucy” or “Ma & Pa Kettle”. And, of course, you can’t keep from smiling when you watch this version of the Pharrell Williams “Happy” video. (Staff will enjoy watching this video, too!)

Create your own smile

Pinterest offers an endless variety of smile-themed crafts and snacks for your residents to create. If you have a childcare center in your facility, invite the kids to join the residents during these activities. Not only will the projects make the residents smile, but the kids will make them smile, too!

Sing a song

Invite a guest musician to come in and sings old-time songs about smiles. These are just a few of the many possibilities, along with some of the singers who made the songs popular. It’s always fun to ask residents if they ever saw any of these musicians in person. You’ll get great stories!

“When You’re Smiling”—Doris Day/Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra/Louis Armstrong

“The Shadow of Your Smile”—Barbara Streisand/Tony Bennett/Ella Fitzgerald

“Time To Smile”—Tony Bennett

“Can’t Smile Without You”—The Carpenters

“A Certain Smile”—Johnny Mathis

“Smile Please”—Stevie Wonder

“Smile”—Diana Ross/Nat King Cole

You can also invite children to join your residents in singing songs about smiling. These are two of my favorites. I’m sure those of you with young children will come up with several more!

Never Smile At A Crocodile

Barny Smile Song

How do you celebrate National Smile Power Day? I would love to see your ideas in the comment section!

 

Want to know how to help your residents keep those beautiful smiles? Learn how in this 2-part series about dental care in the nursing home.